Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Gang membership is currently a serious social problem engaged in by female youth throughout many geographic sectors across the United States. The characteristics of girl gang members have been explored at some length, and this study specifically compared girl gang members with disorganized and abusive families to girl gang members who do not have disorganized and abusive families. The sample consists of 126 known girl gang members arrested in a large southern state over a three year period from 2002 to 2005. The information analyzed includes the Massachusetts Youth Screening Inventory, Second Version (Grisso & Barnum, 2000), a Supervision Risk Classification Instrument, criminal justice data from a statewide database, narratives about the arresting offense, and psychosocial data completed by juvenile probation officers. The study defined family disorganization as the extent of parental supervision, parental incarceration, and change in custody. Abuse included any history of abuse and/or neglect experienced by the girl gang members within their family of origin.